Al Nassr is on a roll. The new coach Stefano Pioli’s era kick-started in style, as did Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. are on a three-game winning streak. Moreover, the Knights of Najd have jumped to third place from fifth place on the Saudi League table. While Pioli has checked the boxes in the Saudi League and the King Cup of Champions, he has yet to prove himself in the AFC Champions League Elite. Nicknamed Mr. Champions League in Europe, Al Nassr captain Ronaldo will also be striving for a promising run in its Asian counterpart. That too, after a forgetful AFC campaign last year.

Al Nassr aims to earn its first three points in AFC Champions League Elite, as they face the Qatari side Al Rayyan on Sunday at the Al Awwal Park in Riyadh. Al Rayyan is struggling to mirror its last season’s form in the Qatar Stars League. They were last year’s runners-up, but currently, they are the ninth seed in its table. When Al Nassr drew its first AFC game against Al Shorta, Al Rayyan lost to Al Hilal. So, many would expect the Sunday game to go Al Nassr’s way. But no Asian Champions League games have been easy for Ronaldo and Co.

Here’s all you need to know regarding both teams as they square off for the first three points in the revamped Asian Champions League.

Al Nassr vs Al Rayyan-Team news and injuries

Injuries have shaken up Al Nassr’s roster a bit. Midfielder Croatian center Marcelo Brozovic is nursing a muscle injury and won’t play against Al Rayyan. Fellow midfielder Sami Al Najei is out with a knee injury for the Al Nassr-Al Rayyan tie. Meanwhile, former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte’s feature is also a doubt for the Knights of Najd. 

Anyhow, anyone would be eager to know about Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been the face of the team in yellow. After scoring a goal and playing 90 minutes in Al Nassr’s last game, there won’t likely be a chance that Ronaldo would miss the Al Rayyan clash. Courtesy of a crammed fixture, Stefano Pioli has rested the Al Nassr skipper for its King Cup clash. Besides, he had also contracted a viral infection mid September. So there’s also a chance that we could see minimal action from the Portuguese star.

Al Rayyan, unlike Al Nassr, is not suffering from injuries at the moment. Coach Younes Ali won’t perhaps make many changes to his regular starting XI for Sunday’s game.

Al Nassr vs Al Rayyan: Predicted Lineups

Al Nassr starting XI [4-2-3-1]: Bento Matheus Krepski; Sultan Al Ghanam, Ali Lajami, Mohamed Simakan, Salem Al Najdi; Ali Alhassan, Otavio; Angelo, Wesley, Sadio Mane; Cristiano Ronaldo.

Al Rayyan starting XI [4-4-2]: Paulo Victor; Joshua Brenet, Andre Amaro, David Garcia, Hazem Shehata; Gabriel Pereira, Abdulazeiz Hatem, Julien Ariel De Sart, Trezeguet; Roger Guedes, Achraf Bencharki.

Al Nassr vs Al Rayyan: Head-to-head and predictions

The Saudi side and the Qatari side will be locking horns for the first time on Sunday. Since the yellow team is on a winning streak and Al Rayyan is yet to find its tempo at the league level, we predict Al Nassr to win 2-0.

Where to watch the AFC Champions League game?

The Al Nassr-Al Rayyan tie will kick off at 2:00 PM ET at the Al Awwal Park in Riyadh, home to Al Nassr. Fans can stream the match live on Paramount+ and Apple TV.

Sound off your predictions for the game in the comments below.